Alberta won't regulate medical tourism, minister says

There will be no regulations or warnings dealing with medical tourism for now, despite a call earlier this week from one the province's leading bariatric surgeons, Alberta's health minister said Thursday.

Dr. Daniel Birch made the call in a CBC Go Public story about an Alberta woman's life-threatening complications following weight-loss surgery in Mexico.

Birch said businesses that sell the surgeries try to meet customers' wants, not necessarilly their medical needs.

However, Health Minister Fred Horne is ruling out issuing regulations or warnings to the public.

"No, I'm not considering any specific action at this time," Horne told CBC News. "I've asked my department to take a look at the issue. I know other ministers across the country have said they going to take a look at it as well, but you know, as I said, consulting a doctor [is] probably your best bet."